There’s plenty of talk today about how organizations need to invest in people – lip service to the notion that happy, motivated workers are the greatest competitive advantage any business enjoys.

Yet one of the world’s leading workplace coaches says that he walks into organizations every day and sees people being consumed by distrust, resignation and resentment.

“I work with organizations in nine countries and there isn’t one place that I don’t find an enormous amount of suffering,” says Julio Olalla, a master certified coach and founder of Newfield Network Inc., a U.S.-based consulting and coaching company.

“My claim these days is that most managers in organizations . . . have been trained in ‘the hard stuff’, but when it comes to the skills in the realm of people, they are really, really troubled.”

Master certified coach Julio Olalla.

Early in December, Olalla will make his first visit to Calgary, to speak about trust, communication and learning in the workplace. Considered to be a top authority on workplace coaching, he and his staff work with organizations across the globe.

Olalla’s philosophy has many layers, but his message is simple: companies must create cultures and traditions that help people learn, and break the cycle of distrust that is so prevalent.

Only 10 years ago, he admits, some of his ideas were considered “very far out.” But things began to change in 1995, when companies, tired of the latest HR fads, began flattening their organizational hierarchy and “empowering” workers.

Leaders now realize something had been missing, says Olalla.

“I think that’s why coaching has become so popular,” he says.

“Executives are saying: ‘I don’t want to have another course on decision- making. I want someone to talk with who addresses the wholeness of my issues, not just a technical decision here or there.’ ”

Olalla and his staff typically work with small executive teams, teaching them the skills to resolve specific issues and create a new culture.

But first they must understand how distrust, resentment, and resignation fester within an organization.

It’s the small things. And it begins with leadership.

As an example, Olalla points to an issue that he frequently encounters. “People don’t know how to make a request,” he says. “They complain that so-and-so doesn’t do what’s needed to be done.

“But when I ask if they have told this person specifically what is needed, they (the bosses) say no. They say the worker should understand what is needed to be done.” In other words, managers are going around expecting people to guess what they want. It’s not exactly the recipe for a healthy work environment, says Olalla.

Why does this happen?

“I have never been able to answer that question . . . I think, culturally, we may have confused being polite with not making requests.”

Olalla says this same issue transcends the workplace into the home, where people have expectations of their spouses and children, yet don’t articulate their wishes.

He encourages people to recognize other factors that can lead to a dysfunctional workplace. The list includes:

* Dealing daily with people who you feel are insincere, who you believe may be trying to manipulate or mislead you.

* Often promises are made, but not kept. But the offended party won’t complain. Instead they gossip about it, creating a culture of rumours. But deep down, says Olalla, the person is suffering, has lost dignity and knows they haven’t addressed the issue.

* Companies demand teamwork, but reward individuals.

* People have a fear of learning and coping, of keeping up with constant change.

During his career, Olalla has watched organizations break the cycle of suffering and enjoy a sharp rise in creativity. The change is immediate, and a climate of well-being is free to emerge.

As part of corporate teaching, and in seminars and keynote speeches, Olalla discusses a crisis in learning that is taking place.

“First of all, if you don’t have trusting relationships, learning and teaching is almost impossible,” he says.

“When I work with people, I have to establish trust, prove to them that I don’t have a secret agenda they’re not aware of . . . otherwise I’m doomed.”

But even if trust is established, too many organizations, schools and adult education facilities fail people, Olalla says.

He uses an example to illustrate how we often confuse learning with getting information.

Imagine that you give a child books to read on how to ride a bicycle. The child memorizes the information and, in theory, understands how to ride the bike. But when you present the child with a bike, he can’t ride it. The books can’t deal with the emotion of riding the bike (perhaps there is fear), or the physical embodiment of the act.

Kids are bored in classrooms, Olalla says, and that carries over into college and other post-secondary institutions.

Knowledge may be passed on, but there is a breakdown – both joy and interest have been “squeezed” out of the learning equation.

Olalla speculates that this negative attitude has contributed to the harmful behaviour (drugs, physical violence) that has escalated in the past 20 years.

Similarly, in the workplace, people are peppered with information, but, he asks, are they really getting it or embracing it?

“Deep in people’s souls, something is missing. So you have a lot of people with abilities, but at the same time with a very poor ability to perform in life, not only at work but in relationships, and the capacity to generate happiness, enthusiasm and compassion.”

Recent statistics seem to support Olalla’s assertion. Depression among adults is clearly the most common workplace illness. A study of 30,000 Canadian workers in 2001 found that one in three people reported high levels of depressed moods – a jump from 12 per cent in an identical 1991 survey.

Perhaps we should just pump more drugs and chemicals into people.

Or would it be smarter to delve deeper and address the issues that cause the suffering?

(A detailed explanation of Olalla’s theory on learning can be found at www.newfieldnetwork.com)